Couch bed



Au@ sume., f 1,591,849 E. .JywEBE-R Y GOUCHEBED med June 14, 1994 ,2 sheets-sheet 1 E. J, WEBER cousu BED Filed June 14, 1924 2 SQeets-Sllxeet 2 y structure Patented Aug. 3l, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT @FFME EDWARD J. WEBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLNOIS.

COUCH BED.

e Applicatonled June 14, 1924;. Serial o. 719,978.

The present invention relates to couch beds comprising two bed sect-ions which may be folded one upon the other to be' used as a single bed or couch or unfolded into extended' position to form a double bed.

One object of the invention is toy provide a bed of this type in which the single act of opening the bed will leave all the parts properly adjusted and thus obviate special manipula-tions for adjustment purposes as is the case with certain beds of this type now on the market.

Another object is to provide a structure in which springs may be used' which will give a soft and' comfortable bed especially when opened up for double ,bed use.

Another object is to provide a structure wherein the springs willv readily' adjust themselves to different amounts of bed clothing held within the closed. structure when the latter is closed up foruse as a couch as is commonly the case in the day time.

These various objects are realized in a wherein adjustable horizontal members supported by the rear section` are raised and lowered to different parallel; positions by the manipulation of the front' section in opening and closing the bed. Thee members preferably carry the spring structure of the rear section and the operation is such that the elevation ofthe latter is made to agree with the elevation of the spring structure of the front section and thus provide a continuous spring mattress of uniform resiliency which produces a comfortable bed to rest upon when openedf out. lVhen folded up to provide the couch these adjustable members are lowered and space is thus provided for'the thickness of the springs and bedding.

`The various features and advantages of my invention will be more fully understood upon reference to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and the scope of the invention will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In said drawing, Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a couch bed constructed in accordance with the present invention; Figi is end. elevati-en ofthe saine showing .full

lines the sections fully opened and in dotted lines the front section slightly elevated; Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the front section considerably elevated; Fig. 4 is a similar view showing the front section still further rotated; Fig. 5 is a similar view showing the front section closed upon the rear section; and Fig. 6 is a plan view Vof one end of the structure in its open' position. rllhroughout these views like characters re'- fer to like parts.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the rear section is provided with four posts 10 connected together by a rear bar 11, a front bar 12, and end bars 13. These several posts and bars are perfectly cut from angle iron bars and arev firmly secured together by rivets. The connections between the several bars and posts are further strengthened by braces 111 andg 14 which are riveted at their ends to these parts. rllhus the entireA frame of the rear section is greatly strengthened.

The front section is similarly composed of a rear bar 15, a front bar 1b, and end bars 17, also cut from angle iron bars and" riveted together. The front section carries at its forward edgethe pivoted legs 18 which rest upon the floor when the bed is openl and fold up out of the way when the bed is closed. Each end bar17 is also provided with a head piece 19 which may be given anj7 preferred shape but is here 'shown as angular. Each head piece 19 is riveted to the associated bar 17 and near its top isprovided with a transverse member 2O which is pivoted at 21v to the upper end of the adjacent post 10. A line through the pivots 21 constitutes a longitudinal axis about which the front section rotates as it is moved from open to closed positionA and vice versa.

The rear section is provided with two horizontal members 22 which are adapted to occupy different parallel positions at dif ferent distances from the end members 13 and, consequently, at different elevations. The members 22 may be variously supported but are preferably connected by links 23 with the members 13. These links are pivoted for rotation at their ends and, consequently, the meml""`s may be shifted.

up and dewsfl. ditta.. t l posnzions by simple rotation about the pivotal centers at the lower ends of the links 23. Each member 22 is connected to the front section by a bar 24. This bar is pivoted to the mem ber 22 at its rear end, and likewise pivoted at its forward vend to the adjacent member 2O of the front section at a point just forward of the pivot 21 which, as before noted, is in the axis of rotation of the two sections. The members 22 are also preferably angle iron bars and the horizontal flange of each member forms a ledge or shelf for an auxiliary frame composed of the rear bar 25, front bar 26, and end bars 27. These bars are riveted together to form a rigid rec tangular framewhich is of practically the same size as the rear section. These frame members are also cut from angle iron bars and their horizontal and vertical flanges serve to support and hold the rear section of the spring structure of the bed. In like manner, the frame of the front section serves to support the front section of springs. ObM viously the spring structure may be variously constructed, but preferably I employ for each section a mattress of helical springs 2e. To assist in supportingthe rear section of springs, the bars 25 and 26 of the auxiliary frame are connected by strips 29 and 30, and in like manner the end bars 27 are connected by strips 31 and 32. These strips are preferably flat strips of steel and are riveted together at their' points of intersection and to the bars of the frame at their extremities. In a similar way, the bars15 and 16 of the front section are connected by strips and 34, and the end bars 17 are connected by strips 35 and 86. These strips are also preferably strips of steel and are riveted together at their points of intersection and to their supporting bars at their extremities.

From an inspection of Fig.'2, it will beA seen that when the bed is fully open, the posts 1() and 1S rest upon the fioor and the members 22 support the auxiliary frame at the same elevation as the( frame of the front section. In this position the links 23 are practically upright and the upper faces of the spring mattresssections 37 and 3S occupy the same level, as indicated in the dotted lines. Any pads or clothing which may, be used. upon the open bed lie upon the upper surface of thespring mattress. Then it is desired to close the bed the opera'- tor grasps the front section at its forward edge and lifts up upon same. The force thus applied causes the front section to ro` tate about the longitudinal axis through the pivots 21. In moving the front section from the full line position to the slightly Ielevated position indicated by the dotted line posi tion of the end bar 17 of Fig. 2, the effect upon the horizontal members 22 of the rear section is to draw them slightly forward and with them the auxiliary frame which rests upon them, as indicated by the dotted line position of the lefthand end of the auxiliary frame member 27, as viewed in Fig. 2. This movement of the members 22 does not cause them to slide upon the end members 27 of the auxiliary frame.

However, in further moving the parts to the position of Fig. 3, the bars 24 draw upon the members 22 and cause them to slide relative to the end member 27 of the auxiliary frame, but only to a slight extent. It will of course be obvious that the front mattress section 38, indicated in dotted lines, must be secured to the front section by wiring or other suitable means, so that it will not be disengaged from the section as it is moved to these different positions. Ordinarily,.the clothing which is upon the top of the front section of the spring mattress while in use as a double bed will be placed upon the rear section before beginning to close the bed, or, if desired, it may be all or partially secured to the front section before beginning to close. As the horizontal members 22 vare moved forward by reason of the pull upon the bars- 24, the auxiliary frame 27 is prevented from moving` forward by the stops 39 engaging the forward edge of the rear bar 25 of the auxiliary frame. The holding of the auxiliary frame in this way permits the members `22to slide with reference to the end members of the; auxiliary frame.

In moving the front section from the position of'Fig. 3 to that of Fig. 4, the horizontal members 22 are forced rearward to a considerable extent and necessarily slide upon the end members 27 of the auxiliary frame. rIhe rearward movement of this frame is necessarily prevented by the engagement of the rear member 25 of the frame with the rear flanges of the rear posts 10, as clearly indicated in Fig. l.

In passing from the position of Fig. 4 to that of Fig. 5, the bars 22 are moved downwardly and rearwardly into engagement with the end members 13 of the rear section. Then this position is reached, the bed is closed andthe forward bar 16 of the front section rests upon stops 40 which are secured to the rear posts 10 of the rea-r section and extends slightly above the same. These stops may have different shapes, but preferably have a fiat upper edge upon which the member 16 of the front section res-ts, and in the preferred construction spring clips 11 pass over the angular edgesr of the upper portions of the stops 40 to hold the upper section against unintentional movement. These clips provide a slight resistance which of course may be readily overcome by manual force applied to the upper section when it is desired to open the bed.

As shown more particularly in Fig. 5, the front mattress section 38 is spaced some considerable distance from the rear mattress ysection 37 `when the bed is closed, and thus ample space is allowed for bedding between the two sections. llVith this construction the -springs 28 may also be considerably comclosed provides a couch bed upon which very' comfortable springs may be employed, helica springs preferably giving the most comfortable bed. Obviously, however, instead of the spring mattresses having helical springs, l may employ spring mattresses of other constructions. t will also be apparent that the skeleton structure herein disclosed may be finished in various Ways according to the desires of the designer, and that thev ends of the rear section may be provided with additional ends of wood or other material which will add to the'beauty of the structure. The under surface of the front section should also be neatly and comfortably finished with padding, upholstering or otherwise to provide a comfortable and attractive appearance when the bed is closed, for at that time what constitutes the under side of the front section, when the bed is open, becomes the top of the couch or single bed. Obviously many styles of finish may be provided in the particular bed herein disclosed without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Obviously, too, other arrangements may be provided for giving the horizontal members 22 their parallel nio-vement. Some variation in the connection of the links 2e may also be provided for without essentially changing the invention.

In view of these and other possible alterations and modifications, l do not wish to be limited to the precise matter herein disclosed, but aim to cover all such alterations and modifications by the terms of the appended claims.

vlhat I claim as new and desire to secure by a patent of the United States is:

1. A couch bed having front and rear secn tions comprising end bars and side bars for each section, four posts for the rear section and two legs for the front section; a head piece secured to each end bar of the front section; pivotal connections between the upper ends of the forward posts of the rear section and saidhead pieces; horizontal members at the ends of the rear section; means on which said horizontal members may be raised and lowered; vertically extending stops secured forward of the rear side bar of the rear section; an auxiliary fra-me carried upon and supported by said norizontal ymembers and guided benveen said stopsland the upper ends of the rear posts of the rea-r section; and links pivotally connecting each said horizontal member with said front sec` -ti'on at poi-nts adjacent to said first inentionedI pivotal connections for' raising' and lowering said horizontal members as the front section is unfolded and folded respectively. i

2. A couch bed having front and rear sections coinprising end bars and side bars for each section, four posts for the rear section and two legs for the front section; a head piece secured to each end bar of the front section; pivotal connections between the upper ends of the forward posts of the rear section and said head pieces; horizontal members at the ends of the rear section; means on which said horiontal members may be raised and lowered; vertically extending stops secured forward of the rear side bar of the rear section; an auxiliary frame carried upon and supported by saidhorizontal members and guided between said stops and the upper ends of the rear posts lof the rear section; links pivotally connecting each said horizontal member with said front section at points adjacent to said first mentioned pivotal connections for raising and lowering said horizontal members as the front section is unfolded and folded respectively; and stops extending above the rear posts of the rear section upon which the forwaid side bar of the front section is adapted to rest when said sections are in closed position.

3. A couch bed having front and rear scctions comprising end bars and side bars for each section, four posts for the rear sect-ion extending above and below the 'side and end bars of that section, and two legs for the front section near its forward edge; pivotal connections between the sections on an axis extending through the upper ends of the forward posts of the rear section; horizontal members at the .ends of the rear section; means for adjusting said horizontal members up and down in response to the closing and opening respectively Iof the sections; an auxiliary frame supported upon and removable from said horizontal members; means cooperating` with posts of the rear section tov guide said auxiliary frame in its up and down movements; a rear mattress section secured to said auxiliary frame and having its top surface lying' in the plane of the tops 'of said four posts when the sections are. in open position and well below said plane when said sections are in closed position; a front mattress section of the same thickness as the rear mattress section, secured to the front bed section and having its top surface lying in the plane of the top surface of the rear mattress section when the sections are in open position, and below said plane and.

lOO

spaced above the top surface of the rear mattress section when the sections are in Closed position7 and stops at the rear of the rear bed section for engaging the forward portion 'of the front section7 when the sections are closed, at a level above the tops of said front posts, to hold the front hed Vsection level to form a seat having its upper SurfaceY Well above the plane of the tops of said posts.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 2nd day of June, 1924.

EDWARD J. WEBER. 

